Tales of the Home Planet and Outer Space
by Ariennye Dhivae Argelia
Summary: The Terraforming Station on Planet Terminus stands as a testment of human strength. It seems, unfortunately, that the scientists that created this colony have to bear a heavier weight then they imagined... This story is written through first person logs.
1. Chapter 1

SD 50507.08

Planet Terminus: Terraforming Party Building 1

:computer open channel to USS Asimov-A:

LONGCOMM+

"Captain Ackbar here." a loud voice responded me."Sir... I'm Nella. Nella Enright." I feebly said. I knew he was skared to death, when I left the ship, ... and after two years I was again communicating with him.  
"Liutenant... Nella!" he exclaimed. His eyes were wider then normal.  
I slightly smiled, "Yes, captain. But I'm no more liutenant. You know I dismissed"  
Ackbar neared his hand to his mouth, "Enright... well, I forgot you face, you know... but, tell me,... how are you? Why are you calling me"  
I nodded, "I'm quite fine, my work is OK, but... It's William. William Smith..." as I left in suspense, Ackbar came on.  
"Oh, yes, Smith... I've never forgotten the way he looked at you, Nella... he's red every time he meets your eyes." he continued, jokingly smiling.  
"It's a serious thing, captain. I've lost him." I said. He noticed I was trembling. Ackbar looked at me deeply, and the embarassed amile evanished from his lips.  
"Explain me all." he said, pleasant.  
--  
--LONGCOMM--

As I closed the communication, I was glad that I found a true friend in captain Ackbar. He sweared death to me, when I left the Fleet, but now he was eager to help me.  
I closed my eyes, and rejected my tears. William... me was gone. While he was exploring the west coast with a shuttle, it just... disappeared from our radars, and from our view. Disappeared. Just disappeared.  
Tears rolled over my cheeks. Professor Von Hibel entered the room, and neared me.  
"Oh, well, don't do this, don't lose your temper now, Nella!... I need you, just when Will's leadership isn't here to help us... The Terminus community needs you, we're all desperate"  
I shed my teardrops, and stood up. I walked to and fro for a while, then stopped walking and stared at the professor's white shirt.  
"Yes, it could help..." I said, looking deeply. I rose my face to meet his eyes, "We'll name this city. I say WE, because all the people in this base will do this. We will do it TOGETHER"  
Von Hibel smiled, slightly satisfied but doulbtful.

EOL

Doctor Nella Enright  
Director of RandD department  
Terminus Terraforming Station 1

SD 50507.08

Captain Ackbar Personal Log - Recorded aboard USS Asimov-A

:computer begin registering:

I scanned this galaxy for two weeks, but I found no sign of Ex-Cmdr William Smith. That guy always made me think suspiciously. He was born for command and leadership. His men loved him, and he gave his men all what they needed.Then he met Nella Enright, a young SCI officer, that came aboard my ship. Oh, this is not fact. This is my own opinion. He fell in love, he no more reasoned, and then he left StarFleet. This can be the only explaination. The only valid explaination.  
Nella... she decided to work on the Genesis project, then she said it was too dangerous, and cancelled all the data about it. Damn! The Federation was deeply interested in it, and ordered me to find that damned scientist!... But she's a too clever fox, and, even if she contacted me, I wasn't able to track her.  
Now I'm here. I'm searching for an ex-member of the Fleet, who seems to be the only connection that I have with her.  
That red-haired fox is driving me mad.

:computer end registering before it becomes too much personal:

EOL

Captain Ackbar  
Commanding Officer  
USS Asimov-A


	2. Chapter 2

SD 50507.08

Planet Terminus: Terraforming Station 1: briefing room

I lowered my head, gathering all what I was about to to tell them. There were plenty of people there, and most of them were simple civilians, scientists, engineers, or psychologists. Strange strange... the name of the Planet was Terminus... I oddly asked myself who could have named that planet... maybe, we had to be called the 'First Foundation'? If Asimov had been in life yet, he would have been glad of our choice.All the people in the room were looking at me, waiting, eager, for my speech... but one pair of eyes was missing, in the middle of all the others... William, where are you?  
It's you that brought me here, Will, it's you... I wanted to join the Terminus equipe just as a scientist, one out of 1000... but you made me a leader, even over Von Hibel.  
years ago, just in memories  
All looked at Smith, who was smiling, pleasant, to all the people in the room. He seemed extraordinarily at ease, even in such a situation.  
"I'm only telling that I want YOU to promote her. Not a military promotion, not as a rank, just..." he began, as voices talked over his, "... just for her merit, for her past experience in StarFleet, for the fact that SHE built Terminus Terraforming Station 1... she took us here. That is. Make her chief of this mission"  
He didn't seem to have supporters, in the crew. All were suspicious, all were full of hate towards StarFleet, and... but he managed to calm them.  
"We can aim for more." he began again, quietly, "Humans never gave up... did they? Maybe when Earth began collapsing, and climate and mysterious forces seemed to decide that our planet could no more exist? Maybe when we discovered a safe way to travel in Space, and, just when we began exploring with the USS Asimov, we acknowledged that there were other races, other civilization ready to wrack us away? Maybe when we founded our first colony on Mars, and then on Pluto, and we began terraforming, but..." he made a little pause, "but we lost three million people before having the optimal technology"  
He looked around, all knew the answer, and some seemed impressed by this speech. Some others, though, looked bored. Von Hibel was looking at Smith with deep interest.  
"You all know the answer. No. We did never give up. But we needed anybody's help. We didn't prove shame to keep any alliance, any friendship, as a treasure. And we don't have to prove any more even now. We need doctor Enright's help. We do. We can aim for more. We can go further! Even through the boundaries of our own galaxy"  
His eyes lit of an unexplained fire, "When I joined the Space Army, known as StarFleet, I wanted to explore. I was no more then a boy, a stupid boy without any experience. I joined to fight for territories, to conquest, to... oh, well, that's hard to explain... very far times, far from now. Now I know that science is more. It's conquesting with peace. Terraforming"  
He stopped for a while, and repeated the word twice, to contemplate it, to explore it deeply, "Terraforming"  
"You don't know how many meanings can this word have. Terraforming. We're transforming all territories to our own. We're interfering, we're assimilating... we're destroying. Terraforming is not so much far from war"  
Loud chats began between the colony members, and many yelled something towards Smith. That speech was too much hard, for them, and many took it as an offence. A hard hit.  
"If you don't want to accept this idea,... sirs, madams... please, let me finish my speech in a civil way"  
Smith waited for a while, then went on, "... you can accept the simple fact that Terraforming would not be possible without StarFleet. And that's all. If you didn't trust doctor Enright, now trust her. Give her a bit of faith. You can't deny... without her researches - and for these she sacrificed her StarFleet career - you wouldn't be here"  
Smith made a step back, and looked with a satisfied smile at the crowd of civilians.  
Nella was really amazed, and was slightly smiling, too, a little embarassed, "It seems I candidated myself as a president - Enright for president - isn't it, Will?" she asked, jokingly.  
Smith quickly turned to her, "Yes, of course. It's OK... they will make you president"  
"But I didn't..." she murmured, but William interrupted her, "Oh, come on! You will do better then one of these guys... you've been a StarFleet officer, and an excellent Department Leader... you are a scientist, too... who could do better?"  
Von Hibel made a step forward towards the two, and smiled, pleasantly, "Doctor Nella Enright, you are now the Director of Research and Development. And you earned it. We are all sure that you will do of your best." he said, not really coldly.  
Smith smiled, and Nella was very glad... was really glad, at that time.  
present times - oh no gulp gasp  
I rose my head, and my eyes met the crowd. I looked around, and met Von Hibel's face. I nodded.  
"Sirs, madams. We're going to choose a name today, for our colony. This colony, that stands as a testment of Mankind's strength and civilization. We're going to name our home, the home that we built: and this name will survive us as a path that the First Colonizers left for all to follow"

EOL

Doctor Nella Enright  
Director of RandD department  
Terminus Terraforming Station 1

Planet Terminus: Terraforming Building 1: Head of RandD

As I turned, still sitting on my chair, professor Von Hibel sat in front of me. I smiled to him, trying to appear calmer then I was. He handed me a little Palm PC, and slightly shrugged, "In fact, it was an excellent idea, Nella. It was... You managed to unite the groups. Now Psychologists and Engineers ger along perfectly"  
I shook my head, "After the recent events... well, I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped working. The Fleet is collapsing. It will give us no more help. The Fleet is preparing a war, and... I talked with Captain Ackbar, recently"  
I was feeling myself at ease, as I returned back to Earth, or back to my quiet Fleet SCI Department.  
Von Hibel wide opened his eyes, in surprise, "What did you do? He will track us, find us... find you! He is searching for you, fool"  
I nodded, and this time spontaneously smiled, "No, don't worry professor. He won't find me. I've confused the master signal, and he won't manage to re-build it"I stood up, and began walking to and fro in my office,

"The war that the Fleet is preparing won't be easy. You know, a strong... intelligence - well, I don't know how to call it - called the Mitara Excellence in our language, want to gain control over all the Sector 2 Federation colonies. When the Mitara will reach this planet, we will fall under their control, and, personally, I don't think that the Fleet will decide to help us." I sighed.  
Von Hibel shrugged again, "We must absolutely do something! You haven't heard what people who managed to escape from the Mitara say about it... It will absorb any form of life here, destroy us, ... and we will be lost without any chance"  
"Well," I answered, just without thinking, "If some people managed to escape... we have some chances"  
Professor Von Hibel closed his eyes, and I sat near the window.  
Terminus was not an easy planet to live in. Rain and snow storms almost every day, huge wind... and one or two meteor collisions every year. It was hard work to change the asteroids route, and we needed many probes every time. Probes, missiles, high-power beams... all those things. What a luck we had the best scientists in the world!  
Urgent UltraBeam communication to doctor Enright my computer stated, with his feminine but monotonous voice.  
"Open a channel." I answered, quickly, and moved to my desk.

LONGCOMM+  
The face of Captain Ackbar appeared on screen. I scrambled the signal before ackmowledging that he had to know the correct frequence, if he called me.  
"Nella! I have news!..." he began, but I brusquely interrupted him.  
"Yes... the war. I know. Many losses?" I asked, coldly, my face unexpressive.  
"Many... but, I was talking of other news! I've found Smith!" he yelled to me, before I could talk again.  
My eyes lit, and I neared the screen, "Really? How is he? Where?" I asked, quickly, without letting him answer.  
Ackbar smiled, and relaxed on his chair. I could feel him leaving me in suspense.  
"He's fine. Nella..." he came nearer to me, he wanted to look streight in my eyes, "... I know where you are. But I have no time for Genesis. With this Mitara war... Anyway, I will bring you Smith"  
"What had happened to him?" I asked, curious, a bit annoyed, a bit worried.  
Ackbar shrugged, "Well, I don't really know. Smith talked of a - something like 'Gateway', and 'Hyperspace'. The fact is that I found him in Sector 5... three sectors away from home! How did he arrive there"  
I smiled, embarassed, and nodded. I perfectly knew what Smith had talked about, "Thank you, captain. If you need furnitures, or... anything, well, Terminus will give you"  
The Captain smiled again to me, "I know that you are it trouble, too... Don't worry. You'll pay the bill another time. Ackbar, out"  
--LONGCOMM--  
As the connection shut off, I stood up and walked up to the shuttle bay.

EOL

Doctor Nella Enright  
Director of RandD department  
Terminus Terraforming Station 1


End file.
